Either Way
by Vivian Storm
Summary: Harper Szelsky is a royal Moroi, and has been the subject of a horrible attack. She is sent to St. Vladimir's and assigned a guardian. The only problem? Her guardian, Gavin Sawyer, is a complete ass.  OCs, after Last Sacrifice


**Either Way**

This is, essentially, my first Vampire Academy FanFiction. I've started a few, but this is the first one I've uploaded. And, in reality, it's not much of a FanFic. It's pretty much all original characters, taking place after Last Sacrifice. This couple, Harper and Gavin (I think you can guess by now that they'll be together), is actually a couple from a roleplaying site. I've brought them from their world into this one in a crazed bout of muse. I play Harper, and someone else plays Gavin, so she gets credit for Gavin's character idea. And I would like to say that this world, of Moroi, Strigoi, dhampirs, etc. belongs to Richelle Mead. But this idea belongs to me. Please don't steal - it's not nice. Um, basically, the short summary out there described what's in here, and I don't expect a lot of views or anything considering as this is original, so... anyway. Read on! And I hope you like it. OH! And every chapter is entitled by a song that fits this couple. The first chapter is "Collide" by Howie Day.

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**Collide (Harper)**

You heard about them, gossiped about them, saw news stories about them… but nothing was compared to the real thing. The red-tinged eyes, the gory fangs, the unbelievable strength… watching family members and guardians die left and right as their life was sucked from them…

"_Save that one for me, Elijah," the one called Klaus called over to the one holding my arms against my sides. I cried and futilely struggled as I watched another Strigoi drain the life from my mother. The light from their eyes had long gone, and their mouths were simply hanging open from the screams of pain they'd been emitting a few minutes ago. Their guardians were strewn around them, their necks either snapped, or their throats ripped out._

_The blood, it was everywhere…_

"Miss Szelsky?"

_When Klaus turned his attention onto me, I know I'd see my mother again soon…_

"Miss Szelsky? We've arrived."

_The door burst open and guardians poured in like a wave of superheroes of death, silver stakes raised in the air as they came to strike down the Strigoi that had invaded my home and had destroyed my life…_

"Miss Szelsky!"

I was jerked out of my sleep by a gentle hand shaking my shoulder, and my eyes shot open to see the kind but hardened face of the guardian who'd saved my life, Guardian Bessett, smiling assuredly down at me. Suddenly, I was in the real world again, not the nightmare that had been a month ago.

The private jet that I was one had seemed to have stopped moving, which was probably why Guardian Bessett was out of her seat from across the way. I glanced out the window, and all I could see was a forest of thick trees, and some mountains in the distance. It almost looked like the middle of nowhere, but I knew better. St. Vladimir's was not just any academy and girls like me were sent to. It was one of the best.

The current queen, Vasalisa Dragomir, had gone here as well as her notorious guardian, Rose Hathaway.

And it had been an extreme honor to come face to face with her Majesty just a few weeks ago. It had been Vasalisa's request that had me sent here, as well as a request for the school to provide me with a guardian around my age. And the queen's requests, as a general rule, were commands. Her Highness was just too kind to make them that way. Her Royal Majesty had been beyond any of my wildest dreams, really – I'd never expected a monarch to be as kind or understanding or hospitable as she'd been.

After hearing my story, she'd made the decision to send me to St. Vladimir Academy, and had been given the hearty support of Guardian Hathaway, Her Majesty's consort Lord Ozera, and his own guardian, Guardian Belikov. The four of them had definitely agreed: St. Vladimir's was the best place for me now.

I just wasn't entirely sure what that all entailed.

Guardian Bessett must have seen the hesitation in my eyes, but the smile became all the more reassuring. "Come on, Miss Szelsky. We have to get you settled in so you can start school tomorrow. You'll be just fine, I'm sure."

It was still very early on in the year, so when the calls had been made, the school had reported that it would be no trouble to whip up me a quick schedule based on what I'd already learned in home school. Everyone was being so gracious… it was really beginning to catch her by surprise.

"Are you staying with me?" I asked hopefully.

"Only as long as the Academy needs me to, Miss Szelsky. I have to get back to court as soon as possible. The Academy has assigned you a guardian – you know that. From what I've heard, he's pretty good."

"Wait, it's a he?" I had not been aware of that tidbit of information.

Guardian Bessett's smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Nobody told you about him, did they?" When my blank expression was enough of an answer, she continued, "Well, yes, it's a young boy about your age, so you don't have to worry about an old man following you around. The Academy wouldn't assign you just anyone – you'll both be going to school, but he's already passed all his tests and has already gone through the trials because he's one of the best students they've seen in years. Technically he's a fully-fledged guardian."

"But why am I getting a boy? Isn't that… awkward?"

"Only if you make it that way," Guardian Bessett replied, opening up the door of the jet for me. I followed her out onto the cold platform, glad that I'd worn a coat. Guardian Bessett had been right, it was freezing here in Montana, and the winter months hadn't even come yet.

No more words passed between the two of us as she escorted me into the school, where she instantly led me to the headmistress's office. Even though it was the middle of the night (which was, essentially, like noon for us Moroi), there were no students to be seen. But as we passed a doorway that happened to have a window, I took a peek and saw that it was only because everyone was in class. I'd never been in a classroom before, except for maybe when I was in kindergarten.

I followed Guardian Bessett up a stairwell and obediently waited outside an ornate oak door while she went in and announced that I'd arrived. Less than a minute later, she reopened the door and beckoned me inside.

"So you are Harper Szelsky," came a wizened old voice from a woman that looked like a vulture sitting behind an old desk like the one my mother used to have in her study upstairs. I remembered the queen mentioning that her name was Kirova. "Welcome to St. Vladimir's. The queen said you were taking a private flight today. Sit down, girl, sit down so we can get this whole thing sorted out."

I did as she asked and watched as she pulled out a file that had my name on it. Opening it up on the desk facing me, she explained what everything was.

"This is a map of our campus," Headmistress Kirova pointed out. I only had time to barely glance at it before she'd pulled out my schedule. "Based on what we were told about your homeschooling, we've managed to make up a schedule for you. You specialized in earth, correct?" I nodded. "We've got a teacher willing to test your skills to see what level of class you should take, and if you're willing we can get that done on Wednesday during your lunch. Otherwise, until then you'll just have a free period at the end of every day. And then here we've got your dorm assignment, and…"

"Excuse me, but Guardian Bessett said that I'd have a boy guardian. Is that true?"

Headmistress Kirova didn't look pleased at having been interrupted, but nodded anyway. "Gavin Sawyer is at the top of all his classes, especially combat. Because of his exceptional record, despite a few behavioral shortcomings, we had him take his guardian trials last semester and he did almost as well as Rose Hathaway did on hers." My eyes widened at that statement. Whoever my guardian was going to be, they sure had picked him… despite the fact that he was a boy. "All he needs to graduate are a few more academic classes, which he can take with you."

I frowned. "I'm afraid I still don't understand. What exactly will having a guardian like him entail?"

"Gavin has agreed to become your permanent guardian, at least until you graduate in the spring. You two have adjoining rooms in the west wing of the Moroi dorms, and he'll accompany you everywhere you go, just like any real guardian would." It wasn't Kirova that answered, but Guardian Bessett.

My mouth dropping open was probably enough of a response.

"What did you expect? Miss Szelsky, you were the victim of a horrible Strigoi attack. We want to ensure that something like that never happens to you again."

"But I never signed up to _live_ with anybody!"

The look that Guardian Bessett gave me was more than enough to shut me up. I looked down at my hands, which I had lying in my lap. Headmistress Kirova saw it fit then to continue.

"This is your dorm assignment. As Guardian Bessett explained, Mr. Sawyer will be given a room adjoining yours in case of emergency. While there are Strigoi wards around the perimeter, they have unfortunately been known to be broken and won't keep the smarter ones out. If the Strigoi attack on your family was a planned one, it could be possible that they're upset you were a loose end. These are all just safety precaution." A knock on the door made the headmistress look up and the knowing smile that came onto her face was a little haunting.

"I believe that's your guardian now, Miss Szelsky," she said. "Guardian Bessett, would you please let him in?"

Guardian Bessett nodded and went to open the door. When she did, the boy who walked in was nothing like I'd expected.

Dhampirs were usually small and compact, but this boy looked nothing like that at all. He was tall, taller than me, and lean almost like the muscle that had gotten him to the top of his combat class was nonexistent. When I saw Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov, I'd seen the best of the best. They were considered gods in the guardian world. This Gavin Sawyer, while he apparently had the rankings to be right up there with them, looked absolutely nothing like them. His sandy hair hung over his blue-gray eyes and he regarded me with such a cold, calculating expression that it sent shivers down my spine. A denim jacket, a black t-shirt, and a pair of torn jeans were all he was wearing. He had no _molnija_ marks, or any promise mark on his neck.

"This is it?" were the first words that came out of his mouth. "This is the chick you told me I had to guard? I thought you said it was some important royal."

My mouth dropped open again, only this time it was in anger. I sent him a glare that my mother used to call one of my 'death looks'. "For your information, _Mr. Sawyer_, my name is Harper Szelsky and my aunt is Ariana Szelsky, one of the most influential politicians in Moroi government right now."

Instead of getting the reaction I wanted, which was somewhat of an apology or admittance to being wrong, my soon-to-be guardian only smirked. "Please, _Miss Szelsky,_" he was mocking my voice, "there's no need to tell me all about your little family. I think the Academy already knows enough."

"Gavin! Behave yourself," Kirova snapped at him. She smiled at me and handed my file to me. "I expect to hear that you're in classes tomorrow, Miss Szelsky. I'll give you the rest of today and tonight to get settled in to your new rooms – someone should have brought in your belongings by now. Gavin, if you'd be so kind as to show Miss Szelsky to her room. And show some respect – if you're going to be guarding her, I suggest you get along."

I thought I heard him mutter something like, "Fat chance," but I chose to ignore it. Instead, I looked at Guardian Bessett hopefully.

"You're on your own from here on out, Harper," she said quietly with a small smile. It was the first time she'd called me by my first name, and I stood from my chair to throw my arms around her. The woman, guardian dhampir or not, had been with me throughout all of this. The fact that she was leaving me with this pig of a boy was almost too much to bear. She seemed startled, but patted my back in reassurance. "You'll be fine. I'll see you again sometime, I'm sure."

"Thank you, for everything," I murmured, smiling at her. "I hope I do see you again. Will you come to visit?"

Guardian Bessett looked surprised at the invitation. "I… maybe, if I have some time off."

I hugged her again before turning to the boy who was supposed to be my guardian. I refused to think of him as Mr. Sawyer or as Gavin. Both names implied being associated with him. "Lead the way," I said, attempting to sound somewhat friendly.

He just snorted and rolled his eyes. "Come on." He shoved the door open and went through it, not even bothering to see if I was following. With one last glance back at Guardian Bessett though, I bit my lip and headed out the door after him.

"What's your problem?" I demanded as we walked. He wasn't even looking over his shoulder to make sure I was behind him. I practically had to jog to keep up with him. "Why would you volunteer to guard me if that's clearly something you don't want to do?"

Gavin stopped and finally looked over his shoulder to give me a heart-stopping glare. I wasn't entirely sure if it was heart-stopping because for a second he really looked angry, or if it was because I hadn't noticed in the Headmistress's office how beautiful and clear those blue-gray eyes were. "Volunteer?" he was growling at me. "_Volunteer_? Why would I volunteer to help a stupid girl like you? Kirova is _making_ me guard your sorry little ass because nobody else at this school is as good as I am – not even the teachers."

I scowled and fought the temptation to slap him. Not only was he mean, but he was arrogant too. I'd dealt with imbeciles like him at court when my mother and I had visited there on occasion. "Well, excuse _me_," I snapped right back at him. "But I didn't choose this either."

"You know, no matter whose _choice_ it was," he spat at me, "it's too late now. Come on, so I don't have to waste any more time hanging around you than I already do."

Without another word, he turned around and set off at a faster pace than ever before. After glaring at him for a few seconds and contemplating making him look like an idiot and losing his charge, I decided against it and hurried after him, clutching my file to my chest so as not to lose it.

He took me through a series of corridors that he seemingly knew by heart. We came to a stop on the third floor of a dormitory that seemed like it was on the opposite side of campus. The entire floor looked like it hadn't been used in a while, and I blinked realizing that they were all adjoining rooms, like the set Gavin and I would have to share (I still didn't see the point of that, but I supposed it didn't matter now).

"Here." He shoved a key in my direction and I almost dropped it in surprise. "This one's yours." He pointed to a door in front of him. "And that one's mine." He gestured to a door next to it. "Don't _ever_ go in there. I'll come to you if you need something, got it?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "You can let yourself in. I'm going to go enjoy my last night of freedom doing something worthwhile." And just like that, he was gone.

Biting my lip, I looked down at the file and my new key. I guessed this was it – my new life.

I opened up the door cautiously and took the first step inside what was going to be my home until I graduated high school.

It was roomy, with a set of gorgeous glass windows that seemed to look down on the forests that surrounded the school. From here, I could see a guardian walking a beaten down path, apparently doing some kind of patrol. There was a bed next to the window, with my two suitcases lying on top of it. Scanning the room further, there was a door to my right that looked like it was the door connecting mine to Gavin's. On my left there was another door, but this one led to a bathroom that looked pretty clean. A walk-in wardrobe was next to it, which was open probably to let me know it was safe to store my clothes inside.

But it wasn't home. This wasn't my room – the room I could never go back to.

Fighting the tears that came with that realization, I pulled my two suitcases from my bed and barely managed to set them on the floor from their weight. For a second I wondered how anyone had been able to carry these two suitcases that were stuffed with my life up all these stairs.

Finally, once I'd locked my door and had made sure that nobody was around to hear, I threw myself onto my bed and sobbed. And sobbed. And sobbed. My mother, the only person who'd ever apparently cared about me (seeing as my father had run off with one of their guardians and hasn't been heard from since), was gone. Torn away from me by a lifeless, bloodsucking demon. And now I was forced to live here, guarded by an arrogant ass who was the most insufferable being I'd ever met, and I had to pretend like everything was going to be fine.

Right now, I doubted if anything would feel _fine_ ever again.

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There we go! End of the first chapter. =3 I'll update soon. - Viv


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